As you’ve probably guessed by now, we all love Mi Lan Dan Cong. Alongside Week 2’s tea (Pouchong), Mi Lan has been a staple at Canton since the beginning. We drink it at elevenses with a home-made flapjack. We drink it in the afternoon to refresh after a hard day’s work, and we drink it after dinner to show it off to our non-whole-leaf-initiated friends. In short, its an all-round winner, and each member of team Canton has their own reasons for loving it:

Jen: This was one of the first teas we ever stocked at Canton. Its one of the most naturally aromatic oolong teas you will ever drink. The scent of orchid and the taste honey with a long, sweet aftertaste that lingers in the mouth is like sitting in a hay field surrounding by spring flowers.

Edgar: This could be my favourite tea – its slightly floral but with a good, proper ‘tea’ taste. You have to get the brewing right though – I’d always recommend using a gaiwan and washing the tea at 100 to wake up the leaves before infusing at 90 to get the most flavour.

Anishka: I’m relatively new to tea but I do really love this one. The dark leaves are pretty and the sweet honey taste is really lovely. Not so much a morning tea for me – better in the afternoon.

Kate: I didn’t actually like Mi Lan the first time I tasted it – but I put that down to a brewing error. The second time I tasted it was a revelation – the tea bursts with fruit and flowers and the smell of the gaiwan lid after infusion is pure heaven. This is the tea I brew for my friends who’ve never drunk leaf tea before and the response is total amazement. The next time they come round they always ask for the ‘peachy tea’.

Dan: Mi Lan was the first proper whole leaf tea I ever tried, and what a way to start. The explosion of flavours totally blew my mind.

Ali: One of the first ‘exotic’ teas I tasted when I started at Canton – it really opened my eyes to the extreme variety of tea flavours, it’s so different from any other tea I have had. And, its great with a slice of cake.

I drank this a few days ago but am only getting round to posting my thoughts now. I am a total slacker! Mind you, I still have the first couple of weeks of my membership still to taste. I had a cold for those two weeks and wanted to wait until I could actually taste things. Anyway, this one is all honey and lychees for me. I really like it even though I was initially disappointed that I had tried it before and so was not getting something new. On the other hand, I was reminded why I liked it so much last time around, so that is all to the good.

need to give this one some time. It is almost overpowering in the intensity of its flavour and aroma. As my first Dan Cong i can see what the fuss is about . i shall have to play around to get the knack of brewing it just right - the first attempt was probably a bit of a fail. But from early impressions , while i can't imagine drinking this as a tea for all occasions i think it might well be one to keep for an occasional treat

This may have been Canton's first Dan Cong, but it was actually the LAST Dan Cong of theirs I ever tried. I had forgotten what it was I liked about it, but I had a second chance to compare and contrast. Two words best wrap up my opinion of this: "Toasty and tart".The one thing I've enjoyed about the Dan Cong type - both young and old - was the tartness. Not sure how that happens, but it's an ultimate winner for me. It's like a dash of hibiscus has been sprinkled in for good measure. Or maybe my tongue is weird, I dunno. Point being, loved shaking off my "blah" feeling this morning with this.

The Friday morning post is quickly becoming a highligh of the week. Today's box contained a very generous packet of Mi Lan Dan Cong - another tea new to me. The honey scent was obvious as soon as the leaves hit the warmed pot, and the flavour of the first infusion was heady with honey, fruit and exotic flowers. As a beekeeper I found it fantastic. Subsequent cups from the same leaves have been less floral, and have a flavour that regular tea drinkers would find familiar and agreeable. However, it still has strong honey flavours, a lingering strong sweet aftertaste, and is infinately more delicious than regular blended tea. Now onto 4th infusion - 4 cups from 1 large tsp of leaves - and still very good. What I can't get over is the exceptional value you get from these lovely teas - just a few pence per cup, and a whole new world of healthy taste experiences. Many thanks, Canton Tea Co and the tea club team.

@adp3355 i'll try this one this afternoon, the weekend is becoming the only time i can really taste canton teas as they deserve. But i absolutely quote your sentence "just a few pence per cup, and a whole new world of healthy taste experiences. Many thanks, Canton Tea Co and the tea club team. "

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[…] remains a firm favourite with many of the staff. We featured it in the Tea Club back in week 10. Visit the corresponding blog where members of staff give their different reasons for loving this […]